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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · band · trunk · saw · lie · march · dip · nail

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. dip — to sink
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. lie — to recline
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. march — the month
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. march — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a music group
  18. saw — the tool
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a ring
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com